Admit it. You were worried. You still are. The Bucs stacked a roster that had pretty much one question mark on it this offseason. Left guard was an unknown quantity.

But then Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen went down for a large, yet undisclosed, amount of time. And one question mark became two. And those question marks were right next to each other. The solutions to those questions? Robert Hainsey and Luke Goedeke. Two players, who between them, had a total of zero starts and less than 35 snaps for their careers.

Bucs LG Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Worry is understandable. But those question marks didn’t mean the Bucs were screwed. Far from it.

Hainsey was a third-round draft pick in 2021, while Goedeke was acquired via a trade up into the second round this year. There is talent in these players, albeit raw talent. The season opener in Dallas presented the first real challenge for both of these players, along with the surrounding pieces. New right guard Shaq Mason, holdover tackles Tristan Wirfs and Donovan Smith along with rookie tight ends Cade Otton and Ko Kieft.

And while test one did not grade out as an “A-plus,” it was not an “F” by any means. In some areas the Bucs dominated. In other there were growing pains. I’m not going to give you just the cheery. There will be some bad reps in this Bucs Film Room because there were some bad reps. But there will be some really good highlights because there were a lot of those two.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the Bucs offensive line’s 2022 NFL debut.

Just Run The Damn Ball!

The Bucs unveiled a bit of a new look offense in Dallas. It may have been for just one game, but the Bucs showed a commitment to running the ball. And it would seem offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich had a great gameplan. With two young new offensive linemen he decided to lean into an area of the game that would allow Hainsey and Goedeke to play towards their athleticism and play forward.

Running back Leonard Fournette posted 21 carries for 127 yards (6.0 avg.). Fournette was the engine that drove the Bucs offense. But if Fournette was the engine, the offensive line was the transmission converting the power into actual movement. And move did they. A wrinkle Leftwich leaned heavily into in Dallas was getting his linemen pulling and moving horizontally to lead the way for Fournette. Here are a few examples.

Getting Linemen On The Move

There is so much to like about this play from multiple players. But before we get to that, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the formation. In a league that continues to move more and more to passing, there is something refreshing to see a three tight end look every once in a while. The Bucs go heavy here with tight ends – Ko Kieft, Cade Otton, and Cam Brate – all lined up left.

As the ball is snapped, Smith and Goedeke get a strong combo block to begin our journey. Goedeke in particular does a great job of positioning himself to the defensive tackles right shoulder knowing that will put him in between Fournette and the tackle both vertically and laterally.

Smith gives a good assist before moving to the second level. There he finds Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and turns him into a shopping cart. Meanwhile, right guard Shaq Mason pulls left and becomes Fournette’s lead blocker on the rep. Mason hustles to get to the outside of the play and ensure that Dallas corner back Trevon Diggs isn’t going to be able to blow the play up early.

Hainsey is responsible for sealing the backside on this play and admittedly he doesn’t have the best execution. After snapping the ball, he lunges out to the nose tackle to try and get the seal. Unfortunately, he doesn’t connect with the defender’s chest enough. Hainsey makes contact more on the tackle’s shoulder and he is able to shake Hainsey with a slight twist. But Hainsey’s move slows and disrupts him enough that he never gets the opportunity to chase Fournette down from behind.

Add in solid blocks from Kieft and Otton to create the lane for Fournette and it all adds up to a big, 17-yard chunk run for a first down.

The Bucs got linemen on the move throughout the game. While the current version of the Bucs line may not be as experienced or good as last year’s version, it is definitely more athletic. And Leftwich is showing his evolution by leaning into that strength. Check out this rep that gets Hainsey pulling left.

Hainsey and backup left tackle Josh Wells immediately get on the move, pulling left. Mason moves quickly to the second level to seal the backside of the play. Goedeke traps the nose tackle. All Fournette has to do is follow the two big gentlemen in front of him to a big gain.

Now this next one acts like a run play even though it is technically a pass.

The Bucs’ first play from scrimmage in the game was a wide receiver screen to Chris Godwin. Godwin made a plethora of Dallas defenders miss on his way to a 24-yard gain. But guess who was out in front clearing the way for him? Big ol’ Smith comes out of nowhere to help receiver Mike Evans to clear out the initial wave of Dallas defenders on the perimeter. Smith almost single-handedly takes two Cowboys out by himself. I can almost hear that line from the movie “Independence Day” coming out of Smith’s mouth: “Gentlemen, let’s plow the road!”

Traditional Inside Runs Worked, Too

It wasn’t just outside pulls that sprung solid games for the Bucs running game. The Bucs found success on their inside run game as well.

Here the Bucs run an inside zone concept that requires Smith and Goedeke to win one-on-one blocks to create a hole on the left side of the line. Both players execute flawlessly. This allows Kieft, lined up as a fullback, to drive through the “B” gap and pick up Vander Esch and remove him from the equation. Fournette then has a decision to make. His responsibility is to read safety Donovan Wilson (No. 6) and flow through the opposite hole. Fournette makes the correct read as Wilson commits to the “A” gap and Fournette shifts to following Kieft through the “B” gap for a 10-yard gain.

This was the easiest run of Fournette’s night. The hole that the line created allowed Fournette to moonwalk through the trenches on his way to yet another 17-yard chunk play. How did that hole develop? Wells seals the left side of the hole while Goedeke and Hainsey combo block the nose tackle and just wedge a hole big enough NASA wants to study it.

The running game proved pivotal for the Bucs on Sunday. It allowed them to control the pace of play and the clock. It also allowed them to protect a still-gelling offensive line as well as the most popular 45-year-old quarterback in the league. It was able to do this because the entire line graded out positively in run blocking, and deservedly so.

Pass Protection Had Some Highs and Some Lows

For all the good the Bucs offensive line created in the run game, the pass game was decidedly worse. Dallas has a formidable pass rush that starts with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and Pro Bowl linebacker Micah Parsons. And when given the chance the Cowboys put pressure on the line. And those struggles were not limited to just the two question marks. Take a look.

Brady gets the pass off because that’s what he does more often than not. However, it wasn’t because he had all the time in the world. From the jump almost every lineman gives up ground towards Brady. Hainsey allows the nose to get into his chest and drive him back, limiting Hainsey’s ability to use his arms. Mason struggles with Parsons’ length and power. Goedeke loses immediately to a quick fake inside swim followed by a dip to get inside leverage on him. He spends the rest of the rep trying to push his man laterally to keep him out of Brady’s face.

Meanwhile, on the edge Smith loses to defensive end Dorance Armstrong on a bull rush where Armstrong displays an impressive conversion of speed to power. Wirfs is the only guy who handles his assignment easily. It was a rough rep. And it wasn’t the only one.

On this one Hainsey loses to a quick lateral move, allowing fast pressure right up the middle.

Here Hainsey is so worried about Parsons lined up as an off-ball linebacker and a potential “A” gap blitz he misses the defensive tackle being passed to him by Goedeke due to the overload on the left side. This allows defensive tackle Trysten Hill to move straight through the middle to Brady. On the right side an almost identical situation unfolds due to the same worry about Parsons. Mason is spying Parsons as well. And so, he misses Wilson on the blitz.

Micah Parsons Gave Everyone Fits

In just his second season it is clear that Parsons is THAT guy. While he was drafted to be an off-ball linebacker, Parsons’ ability as a pass rusher is just too valuable for the Cowboys not to transition him there almost exclusively. In the last clip you saw how his presence created opportunities for those around him. He truly is the cliche “chess piece” that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn can move around. And move around he did. Parsons beat numerous Bucs offensive linemen throughout the game.

He flies by Smith with a vicious inside spin move before getting Brady down for the sack.

He beats Wells handily with just pure speed and bend. Goedeke also gets beat by defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, which collapses the pocket. This prevents Brady from stepping up in the pocket to avoid Parsons’ outside rush.

Parson even got the best of Wirfs by using his speed to get into Wirfs’ chest, using his power to give Wirfs a strong shove to create separation. Parsons finishes the rep by using the separation to move inside to almost get to Brady.

This man is special and a joy to watch. Not many players can take over a game, but Parsons may be one of them.

There Were Good Signs Of Growth

Goedeke is no Ali Marpet, and Hainsey is no Jensen. You shouldn’t hold them to those standards. They won’t live up to them. However, despite the tough reps there were good ones as well.

This is a good representation of the line giving Brady of plenty of time off of play-action to find Evans on the deep out. I am an advocate for more play-action and the Bucs ran a good amount on Sunday. It not only gets the defense off their keys for a split-second more, but it also slows the pass rush giving the offensive line some protection.

Here Goedeke was able to neutralize Parsons rushing up the middle. While Goedeke loses initially to the inside move, he smartly guides Parsons out of the play by using his momentum to drive him away from Brady.

Speaking of Goedeke, the play above is a good example of his ability to continue to recover and re-anchor, even if he initially loses.

And I’ll leave you with one more of Hainsey anchoring.

Hainsey did a great job of just stoning his man on this plan, giving up barely any ground.

Should You Be Worried About The Bucs’ O-Line?

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

No, I don’t think so. Smith’s injury does not appear to be serious as the team has not committed to him being out for this upcoming Sunday’s game against the Saints. It’s a pain tolerance issue, and Smith is as tough as they come.

The Bucs had faith in Goedeke and Hainsey to not pursue any veteran options in free-agency or via trade. That shows the level of faith the team has in both of these new starters to perform during a “win-now” window. And the two young’ns showed well as run blockers, and below average with room to grow in the pass game.

Wirfs lost on just two reps all night, showing he has picked up where he left off last year during his All-Pro campaign.

Will this line look perfect? No. Will they be as good as last year? Nope. But with good game-planning and continued growth they are good enough to help get this version of the Bucs to another Super Bowl victory.